Relative scales allow objects and events to be compared and described (e.g., bigger and smaller; hotter and colder; faster and slower).

Lesson Overview

5e Lesson Plan Model

Many of my science lessons are based upon and taught using the 5E lesson plan model: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate. This lesson plan model allows me to incorporate a variety of learning opportunities and strategies for students. With multiple learning experiences, students can gain new ideas, demonstrate thinking, draw conclusions, develop critical thinking skills, and interact with peers through discussions and hands-on activities. With each stage in this lesson model, I select strategies that will serve students best for the concepts and content being delivered to them. These strategies were selected for this lesson to facilitate peer discussions, participation in a group activity, reflective learning practices, and accountability for learning.

Unit Focus

The Out of This World-A Journey Through Our Solar System unit focuses on students recognizing that Earth is a part of the “solar system” that includes the sun, planets, moons, and stars and is the third planet from the sun. Through models, investigations, graphing, and computer simulations, students learn that Earth revolves around the sun in a year’s time, and rotates on its axis once approximately every 24 hours. They make connections between the rotation of the earth and day/night, and the apparent movement of the sun, moon, and stars across the sky, as well as changes that occur in the observable shape of the moon over a month. The unit wraps up as students learn about the brightness of stars, patterns they create in the sky, and why some stars and constellations can only be seen at certain times of the year.

Lesson Synopsis

In this lesson, The Sun, Earth, and Moon Relationship, I begin with an animated diagram and ask students to generate 5 questions and 5 inferences about it. They pair-share-square and discuss the inferences and questions. Then I introduce and pre-teach vocabulary terms related to the motion of the planets and moon. I do this to help students develop their academic language for further investigations on the their movement and motion. Once we identify key words essential to developing an understanding, I have students read a science fiction comic about different perceptions of the Sun's, Earth's, and Moon's placement and movement in space. After reading, students analyze three claims made within the comic story. They select one claim and then create an orrery model and use it to construct an evidence based explanation to support their claim. Their explanation is collected and used as a formative assessment.

Next Generation Science Standards

This lesson will address and support future lessons on the following NGSS Standard(s):

5-ESS1-1: Support an argument that the apparent brightness of the sun and stars is due to their relative distances from Earth.

5-ESS1-2: Represent data in graphical displays to reveal patterns of daily changes in length and direction of shadows, day and night, and the seasonal appearance of some stars in the night sky.

5-PS2.1: Support an argument that the gravitational force exerted by Earth on objects is directed down.

Depending upon the time of year, this lesson is taught, teachers should consider modeling how groups should work together; establish group norms for activities, class discussions, and partner talks. In addition, it is important to model think aloud strategies. This sets up students to be more expressive and develop thinking skills during an activity. The first half of the year, I model what group work and/or talks “look like and sound like.” I intervene the moment students are off task with reminders and redirection. By the second and last half of the year, I am able to ask students, “Who can give of three reminders for group activities to be successful?” Who can tell us two reminders for partner talks?” Students take responsibility for becoming successful learners. Again before teaching this lesson, consider the time of year, it may be necessary to do a lot of front loading to get students to eventually become more independent and transition through the lessons in a timely manner.

Engage

In their interactive notebook, I ask them to Give Me 5 observations about the image displayed. Then I ask them to Make Me 5 inferences about the animation.

Next, they take part in a pair-square-share. Each student shares their observations and inferences with their elbow partner. Then, they join another pair of students and share their ideas with them and listen to their new pairs observations and inferences. After they share, I hand them each a blank sentence strip. As a group they need to decide which two observations and two inferences they are going to share. When they finish writing them, I have them post them on the premade t-chart I have posted on the board.

We reconvene as a class and read over the observations and inferences made. I pick out key observations and inferences related to the Earth's and moon's motion and movement around the sun. (I am looking to relate their observations and inferences to the rotation and revolution of the Earth and the moon's orbit around the Sun)

observation

sentence strip

writing them

inference

share

decide which

student shares

listen to

Explain

15 minutes

Pre-Teaching Vocabulary

Here I introduce and pre-teach vocabulary terms related to the motion of the planets and moon. I continue displaying the animated diagram and use it to identify terms related to the shapes of the Sun, Earth, and moon, and their placement, motion and movement.

I apply the terms: axis, rotate, revolve, orbit,to each relevant part of the animated diagram.I define each word on the board and have students write and illustrate each term in their interactive notebook.

I do this to help students develop their academic language and to recognize the motion and movement associated with each term. They need to use these terms in the next half of the lesson as they examine three different claims about the relationship of the Sun, Earth, and moon.

Explore

25 minutes

Developing An Understanding of Earth's Place in Space

We discuss the perceptions as a whole class about Earth's, moon's, and Sun's placement and movement in space. I post three claims.

Claim 1: The Moon and the Sun both circle the Earth

Claim 2: The Moon circles the Earth while the sun circles them both

Claim 3: Moon circles the Earth while the Earth circles the sun

Creating A Model to Support Our Claim

I explain they are creating a model to determine the accurate claim and support it. The and illustrate the movements of the Earth and moon in relation to Sun. This is an orrery model that I selected. This type of model gives students a visual of the Earth's and moon's motion and supports the remaining lessons in the unit.